Canoeing to Rhoscolyn Beacon

This paddle was probably one of the most unexpectedly brilliant days out, so far. We rarely spend time in Rhoscolyn, because it’s a tiny place, with lots of traffic in peak seasons, however on this occasion we were lucky.

We headed down, chancing it really, to see if we could find somewhere to park at the beach car park (///boat.yield.metro), and we were lucky to find a spot. It wasn’t a disabled spot, but after waiting a short time (which again was lucky), we managed to move into a disabled space before our boats were unloaded.

We didn’t realise it at the time, but you can actually drive your car onto the beach here to launch your boats. Meaning, if you have a vehicle that will manage it, you can pop down onto the sand, unload all of your gear, and then have someone park the car up for you (well, now we know, I guess).

On the day we launched, the tide was coming in, and the wind was low. So we had lovely calm waters. There was some swell as we got out away from the safety of the bay, but it was nothing we could not manage. On this day, we were in our canoe, and our friend was in a small sit-on kayak.

We had a bit of a paddle around all the islands and coves in the immediate area, and then headed out into the sea. The swell was amazing, slowly bobbing us up and down, and it was warm enough that I could just wear a light Regatta top, under my PFD, and have my hands dangling in the water.

I used my VHF for a radio check with Holyhead Coastguard to try and get some practice in, without realising that the NCI (National Coastwatch Institution), was right above us on the cliffs. It’s an organisation that welcomes radio checks. That was a failing of mine (I should have known), because as was expected from the position we were in with a hand held radio, the coastguard came back to me as weak and barely readable. Next time, I will definitely engage with the NCI, too.

We then decided to head towards the closest point of Ynysoedd Gwylanod, and were shocked to see about 8 or 9 grey seals just watching us. Amazing! We obviously kept our distance from them to make sure we did not disturb them, and then Cerys and I decided to head off in the canoe around the islands, and finally, the Rhoscolyn Beacon. The swell was much larger way out there, but it was still manageable in the boat we were in, with two of us paddling. There was very little breaking water on the rocks.

Our friend decided that heading out around the rest of rocks in the boat he was in was not wise, and so he stayed where he was, just floating, while we headed off out of sight for a few minutes.

We were not surprised to find more seals on the rocks as we went around, and must have seen twenty or thirty of them in all. A couple of encounters with them were even more exciting, though. As we rounded one corner of the furthest islands, and coming a little close to the rocks as we passed, we found ourselves facing a very large, white coloured seal, who just barked at us, as we passed by. It was the biggest one I’ve seen so far, easily.

That was excellent, however as we came around the last corner, and we were in sight of our friend again, another group of seals, came into view. Some of them were in the water, and one of them was very curious about us. It followed us for a bit, and we saw it swim under our boat before disappearing, which was just amazing.

We were getting tired now, however, so we decided to head back in. It was probably just in time, too, as we encountered our first sea fog rolling in, and while we were not completely engulfed, we were certainly starting to be. That changed the temperature very quickly.

There were also loads of jelly fish. Mostly compass and moon, however there were also a couple of Lion’s Mane jelly fish swimming about. As always, there were loads of hermit crabs in the shallows, and other unknown fish darting about. It’s such a pretty place. That evening at home was filled with just sitting in silence, while we absorbed the amazing day. The occasional “wow”, may also have been heard.

We will likely go back at some point, perhaps to do a challenge and see how quickly we can circumnavigate the islands, however, we’re not sure when that will be. We do highly recommend this place though, as long as you can find somewhere to park.